Six minors wed in a day in Salem tribal hamlet

Only three days before the mass marriage here, a police team had raided the hamlet for illicit liquor.

While the age of some of the girls could be verified from primary school records, it was difficult to ascertain the exact age of the rest. Even their parents could not recall the dates of birth, as the tribals were not used to the system of registering births or deaths. But village sources said, only three of the brides had completed 18 years.

Sources in the village and school records revealed that six of the brides were certainly minors. According to school records, Madhu is just 13. She married Govindan, aged 19 years. Her friend, Govindamma (16) married 20-year-old Palanisamy. And 17-year-old Lakshmi was married to Ramasamy (22). Shantha’s mother said she was 18 but sources claimed otherwise. The other brides — Sakunthala is 16 and Vennila is 15.

The grooms were all from the same village. They tied the knot in the presence of 70-year-old Madhaiyan, the natanmaikarar (priest). Later, the couples returned to their respective homes to continue other rituals. While three brides were from neighbouring villages Kolagur and Sonappadi, six were from Kondaiyanoor itself.